The Sun’s front-page story
The Sun had reported that Chris Moyles would be removed from the Radio 1 Breakfast Show later in 2009.
Moyles opened his programme by saying the claim was untrue and explaining how he believed the story had developed.
He said Radio 1’s press office had told Gordon Smart there were no plans to remove him, but Smart ran the story anyway while citing unnamed sources.
Moyles objected that neither he nor his agent had been approached directly. He questioned whether the report reflected genuine information or a personal agenda.
Moyles defends Aled
Smart’s column had described producer Aled Haydn Jones as a “tea boy”.
Moyles stressed that Aled was the producer of one of Britain’s biggest radio programmes and did not simply make tea.
He also corrected references to a “Saturday Surgery”, explaining that Aled presented The Surgery on Sundays.
Moyles accused the article of containing basic errors, including referring to a source at Broadcasting House despite Radio 1 operating elsewhere at the time.
Too old for Radio 1?
The article suggested Moyles had become too old for the station and claimed another presenter would temporarily replace him.
Moyles argued that the proposed stand-in was only around a month younger, undermining the age argument.
He said he intended to remain on breakfast for as long as both he and Radio 1 wanted the arrangement to continue.
Moyles also challenged previous Sun claims about his comments on Who Do You Think You Are?, insisting that he had not made jokes about Auschwitz.
He invited Smart into the studio for tea, biscuits and a conciliatory conversation but warned him not to continue provoking him.
Gordon Smart responds
Gordon Smart later defended the story during a media discussion.
He said he had strong contacts at Radio 1 and stood by the claim that Moyles would leave after breaking Tony Blackburn’s record as the station’s longest-serving breakfast host.
Smart acknowledged the BBC’s denial but argued that the wording — no plans to change the host “at the moment” — left room for his information to be correct.
He rejected the accusation of an agenda and described the “tea boy” remark as banter.
Smart said Moyles should be able to accept criticism because he regularly criticised other people on air.
He then made further personal remarks about Moyles’ weight, television work and sensitivity to criticism.
Sarah Nathan
A separate Radio 2 television-review discussion included Sarah Nathan of The Sun, whom Moyles had also named while criticising the newspaper’s earlier reporting.
Nathan declined to discuss Smart’s sources but said the paper stood by its reporting and argued that Moyles should develop a thicker skin because he had built a career discussing and mocking others.
The three transcripts therefore capture the dispute from Moyles’ programme, Smart’s response and Nathan’s later defence of the newspaper.
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